Waihāhā Hut

Activity Date: 2 May 2026
Updated: 17 May 2026
People: Finn, Jen, Emily H, Korra 🐕

D1: Into Waihāhā Hut

Em was coming to Hamilton to visit her whānau but was kind enough to set aside a couple of days to go adventuring with us, and we were stoked to go. It would mark the third thrip in four weeks, so we were a little on the tired side of life, but I’m always pleased to go be outside.

We headed out of town at a leisurely 10:30am, stopping for coffee & lunch at Cafe29 in Tīrau. The oat flat white was delightlful, as was the lamb burger. Gotta treat yo self, you know. While SH1 is becoming familiar ground, the smaller and much quieter SH30 and 32 were really lovely to drive along and had some intersting geological features to look at out the window. I was focused on driving, though, promise.

The carpark is huge, mostly owing to the Waihāhā-Waihora section of the Great Lake Trails. That said, the track was busy! Interestingly, a few of the people were heading out, despite having walked in earlier in the day. They said the hut was full and the campsite already quite busy! Well, we were there for a walk, so figured we could also turn around and hike back out if it really was that busy.

The track very well-formed the whole way, and at no point would you be at risk of losing it. It mostly ambled along with its high point (~580m) a mere 110m above the starting point of ~470m. So, it’s nothing too strenuous. The track has a number of beautiful vantages, allowing views up and down the Waihāhā River from high and low, and there was even a nice waterfall not far from the start.

We got to Waihāhā Hut after a sedate 2:25hrs and true to their word, the area was very busy! The hut did indeed look full, there was already three tents pitched in the forest next to the clearing, and there was also two dogs! The icing on the cake was the campfire another group had started in the clearing, and they were having a great time standing around it and chatting. We opted to also pitch our tent in the forest, noting that the clearing was very damp with dew — it didn’t look like it had dried off in days. The forest, on the other hand, was looking really nice and dry. The trees must provide some insulation so that the condensation is not so severe.

We pitched the tent and helped set up a bivvy situation for Em, who didn’t have her own tent and was originally hoping to get a bed in the hut. Not one to have her spirits damped quite so easily, she got stuck into the adventure of using my emergency bivvy and sleeping under a tarp (our tent’s groundsheet).

It quickly cooled off and not long after sundown and a good deal of food, we were heading to bed.

🍴 Baked beans on mash potato
🍫 Hot drinks and chocolate

D2: Out

As expected, Em dod not have a very good sleep, but we were a good deal warmer than the previous weekend at Waipakihi Hut. Packing up camp was a slow affair since there was no time pressure to get up and get going. We had two coffees each — such luxury! We hit the track after most of the other parties had left, and I gave the hut a good clean despite not staying in it. Those who had, had not wiped the bench down or swept the floor.

We trundled out, making good time again. This time, we took the brand new section of track which had just opened. This appeared to go around a more steep and rutted section of track. We guessed this was to make it more bikeable. After reaching the car, we had a very leisurely lunch and ate the rest of our snacks while luxuriating in the sun. Delightful.

Maa te waa! We’ll be back, Pureora Forest Park! The Hauhangaroa Track looks like an adventure for another time.

☕️ Porridge & coffee x2
🥜 Nut bar x2
🌮 Hummus & cheese wrap